What can football’s outsiders learn from Brunson’s words? Not to chase miracles, but to manage setbacks.
A less-fancied team does not need to dominate every phase. It needs organisation after conceding, courage when possession is scarce and enough discipline to remain in the match. The most memorable World Cup shocks are often built through small acts of resistance before the decisive goal arrives.
The expanded World Cup is creating room for national teams whose qualification campaigns once seemed improbable.
For these sides, qualification is already an achievement. But Brunson’s rally offers the more important question: what happens after the dream begins?
The next World Cup will test whether these newcomers can merely participate or genuinely unsettle established powers. Their campaigns may not begin with expectation, but that has always been the underdog’s advantage.